GIRL POWER

01.21.14

1st Female Prez for African Nation

Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty

While the Central African Republic is struggling through a sectarian civil war, the National Assembly has chosen Catherine Samba-Panza, 58, to be the interim president. She is the first woman to ever lead the country. She beat seven other candidates, including the sons of two former presidents. “Our country is at the brink of implosion,” Samba-Panza said. “More than ever, the country needs someone who can bring it together.”